Published Jan 6, 2023 by Rick Cundiff
Happy New Year! Here we are in 2023, and new possibilities are in the air all around us. It’s time to shake off our pandemic-induced inertia and break new ground. The secrets to greater success for your business or organization are right at your fingertips.
Actually, it’s no secret at all. One of the biggest, most important, keys of all to the success of any organization is brand awareness – marketing.
So what are you doing this year to boost your bottom line? Whether that means more money, more members, more volunteers or anything else, it’s time to blow out the cobwebs and get started.
Today’s consumers are more media-savvy than ever before. They find it easy to tune out anything they consider irrelevant “noise,” including TV and radio ads, social media, texts and just about any form of communication. That’s not to say those methods don’t have their place. But you need additional ways to break through the clutter if you want to compete in today’s marketplace.
One time-tested way to raise brand awareness is through the use of custom patches. With a wide range of sizes, shapes, colors and styles available, patches can visually break through the clutter. And they’re one of the most cost-effective measures you can take to present your logo and message to prospective customers, members or students.
If you’re reviewing your marketing plan for 2023, consider it incomplete without the addition of custom patches. Their flexibility, low cost and high impact make them a promotional opportunity you simply can’t afford to miss.
One of the great advantages of patches, whether embroidered, woven, printed or PVC, is their flexibility. Custom patches can go just about anywhere you can imagine.
Consider hats. You can put your logo on baseball caps, beanies, trucker caps, even cowboy hats if you want to. That turns the hat into an effective sign for your brand every time the wearer is out in public. Who wouldn’t want that kind of exposure? Hey, if it’s good enough for Major League Baseball and John Deere, it’s good enough for anyone, right?
But maybe you’re not quite convinced. Maybe your business doesn’t lend itself to hats. Then it’s time to consider other items of apparel.
Patches don’t have to be large to make an impression. A simple custom name patch on a uniform or polo shirt can work wonders.
When you put a name and logo on a uniform patch, you’re adding an extra level of professionalism to the uniform. You’re telling prospective customers you’re proud of your staff and want to identify them. You’re telling those staff members the same thing, that your organization stands behind them.
That’s an important marketing point in its own right. Every employee or volunteer wants to represent an employee that they can be proud of. And they want to believe the organization considers them a valuable part of the team. That’s exactly what custom uniform patches do.
Custom patches also can help your customers designate specific departments of your organization. You can always include a department name in the text of your patch design. You can even code departments by patch color or shape as well. That helps ensure visitors, customers or vendors are speaking to the right person who can best serve their needs.
What if your organization is part of an industry that doesn’t require uniforms, such as banking, for example? You can still reap the benefits of custom patches.
Why not adapt patches for customer marketing tools, such as the aforementioned caps, beanies and other items that you give to customers? Custom patches can be attached to other items such as tote bags as well. Attach magnets to the back, and they’re even perfect for the office filing cabinet or the home fridge.
If your organization features a mascot, you can really reap the benefits of patches. For sports teams, schools, or businesses, a colorful mascot is a terrific way to raise your brand awareness. You can put the mascot image on iron-on or peel-and-stick patches to hand out at games, awards, school contests and other events. Diehard fans will love them, and kids even more so.
Get creative in distributing your custom patches. Coffee shops, college campuses, supermarkets and other public places often feature bulletin boards. Get permission, and pin patches to them. A colorful patch can stand out from a sea of paper flyers advertising garage sales, takeout restaurant menus and other items.
Keep in mind that patches are extremely economical. You can order a lot of custom patches for very little money. You can afford to spread them all over town and get your message into areas you might not otherwise reach.
Speaking of reaching people, patches can be a really strong method of posting your contact information. Keep your design simple enough – or your patch large enough – that you can include your phone number, email address, Facebook page or other contact method.
You can even include a QR code on your patches with a link to your organization. That can link to your standard contact info, or you can use it to reward customers with giveaways, discounts or special offers. The choice is yours.
There are just a few things to keep in mind if you want to market with patches.
First, it’s vital to maintain your organization’s overall marketing profile. If you have specific logos, text fonts and color combinations, don’t stray too far from them on your patches. You can introduce a little variety in each of those areas, but be sure it’s complementary to the main look.
Next, remember that patch size and style affect the legibility of your text. Keep your design as simple as possible for a clean, legible look that will attract people.
With that in mind, there’s no time to waste. Custom embroidered patches are an incredibly useful marketing tool. There’s no better time than today to introduce them as part of your organization’s integrated marketing effort. When combined with social media, trade shows, (where patches make ideal giveaways), word-of-mouth, and traditional media advertising, they can make an extraordinary contribution.
